Sheet-feeding machine.



No. 802,181. PATENTED OUT. 17, 1905. 0. S. BEYER.

SHEET FEEDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB, 3. 1904.

4 SHBETS-SHEET l.

No. 802,181. PATENTED OCT. 17, 1905. I

0. s. BEYER. SHEET FEEDING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 3, 1904. I

4 SHEETB-SHEBT 2.

No.'-802,181. PATENTED OUT. 17, 1905.

O.S.BEYER.

SHEET FEEDING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 3. 1904.

4 SHEBSSHEET 3.

v (9m 3311 401/) Guam Iago Qumv No. 802,181. PATENTED 001117, 1905.

0. S. BBYBR.

SHEET FEEDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3. 1904.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4.

19M: 9 W avwamto'c UNITED STATES PATENT union.

OTTO S. BEYER, OF EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO E. W. BLISSCOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

SHEET-FEEDING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 17, 1905.

Application filed February 3, 1904. Serial No. 191,772.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Otr'ro S. BEYER, a citi- Zen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of East Rutherford, county of Bergen, and Stateof New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSheet- Feeding Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates generally to sheetfeeding machines, and has moreparticular reference to means for feeding a sheet of material or stockto a gang or other press. In machines of this kind, and especially wheredecorated tin is to be stamped out, absolute accuracy is necessary. Evena slight variation amounting to perhaps only an infinitesimal part of aninch is noticeable.

To feed a sheet accurately and automatically is therefore the object ofmy invention. In carrying out this object I employ grippers of asuitable construction driven by means of a screw-feed and adapted toseize and release the sheet at certain predetermined intervalscorresponding to the operation of the press. These screws are operatedintermittently to correspond to the action ofth press. Means are furtherprovided for returning the grippers to their starting-point withrelation to the endless screws, preferably operated by these screwsthemselves.

Other objects will appear as the specifica tion proceeds.

In the drawings I have embodied my invention in a suitable form showingit applied to a gang-press, although my invention is not limited to aconstruction consisting in part of a gang-press.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a rear view of a gang-press embodyingmy invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine with the gang-pressand side frames removed. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the machine. Fig.is a sectional view on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a plan detailview of one of the grippers. Fig. 6 is an end view of Fig. 5.

Similar characters of reference are employed to denote similar parts.

The parts are properly mounted in a suitable framework 1, having theside frames 2, in which is mounted the main shaft 3 for 0perating inthis instance the gang-press 4.

5 is a feed-table for receiving the sheet to be punched or stamped, oneither side of which pers are located equidistant on this belt, eachtaking the place of one of the blocks 11. At each end of the machine Iprovide drums, as 12, around which the belt or chain passes. To properlysupport the grippers and chain as they travel around, there are providedguides 13, suitably secured to the framework, and disks, as 14, arecarried by the drums 12. From this it will appear that one or moregrippers being in engagement with the endless screw the rotation of thesaidserew will gradually move the gripper forward, thereby dragging allthe other grippers with it and returning them to the starting-point byreason of the fact that all the grippers are connected together.movement of the grippers to the startingpoint will be controlled by theoperation of the screws.

The screws 7 are suitably mounted in bearings and driven intermittentlyin any manner found useful. In the present instance the .said screwscarry the bevel-gears 15, meshing with the gears 16, mounted on thetransverse shaft 17 carrying the ratchet 18, which in turn receives itsmotion from the pawl 19, moving with the gear 20, operated by the rack21, connected to the crank 22, carried by the main shaft 3. The partswill of course be so arranged that the screws are rotated on the upwardstroke of the press or while the press is not acting upon the sheet.-

All the grippers are constructed alike, so that one only will bedescribed.

The gripper is formed with a main portion 23, internally threaded, aspreviously pointed out, and carrying the lower jaw 24, which may beformed as one or more blades. This lower jaw is of a considerable lengthand is provided with the edge guides 25 and is adapted to extend inunder the side edges of the By this means the return sheet. The upperjaw 26 is pivoted at 27 on the main portion and is opened and closed bymeans of the pivoted lever 28 through the instrumentality of the links29 and springdetent 30, which latter prevents any undue jar or shock. Aspring 31 is provided to hold the gripper, or rather the upper jaw ofthe same, in either its closed or open positionthat is, to hold thelever 28 in the position to which it has been moved.

Any means can of course be employed to open or close the grippers or tooperate the pivoted lever 28. I prefer to use means operated by theaction of the press to close the grippers, positioned at such a point asto seize the sheet at the proper moment. In this instance these meanstake the form of a linger 32, mounted on the rock-shaft 33 andconnected, through the links 34 and rod 35, to the punch or other memberof the press, so that the said press will close the grippers on thedownward movement. To open the grippers, there is provided awedge-shaped portion 36 on the guide 13 or elsewhere on the framework,so positioned as to contact with the pivoted lever 28 at the propermoment. I

The upper and lower jaws of the grippers are provided with correspondingpins 3'7 and apertures 38 to properly seize the sheet. The sheet isplaced against the stop 39, and at the proper moment a gripper on eachside of the sheet moves into position and coming up under the fingers32, which upon the downward movement of the punch closes the grippers,will then seize the sheet. As the punch rises the screws 7 will beoperated and will feed the grippers carrying the sheet forward. Afterthe sheet has been acted upon, in this instance a number of times, thegrippers will reach the wedge-shaped portions 36, which will open thesame. As the grippers are moved forward by the screws the grippers noton the screws will be dragged around and returned to the starting-point.The scrap will be suitably disposed of by any means.

What I claim is 1. In a machine of the characterset forth, thecombination with a gripper adapted to move a sheet in a horizontalplane, of a screw for imparting feeding motion to the gripper, means forrotating said screw intermittently in one direction only, and means forreturning the gripper to its starting position con trolled by the actionof the screw.

2. In a machine of the character set forth, the combination with agripper, of a screw for imparting a feeding motion to the gripper, apunch, means for operating the punch, and for rotating the screwintermittently in one direction only, means for returning the gripper toits starting position controlled by the action of the screw. means forclosing the gripper operated at periods corresponding to the action ofthe punch, and means for opening the said gripper.

3. In a machine of the character set forth, the combination with agripper, of a screw for moving said gripper in one direction, the saidgripper being adapted to be moved on and off the said screw.

4. In a machine of the character set forth, the combination of twoseries of grippers located one on either side of the feed-table, and ascrew for moving each series of grippers in one direction to bring themsuccessively into operating position.

5. In a machine of the character set forth, the combination of twoseries of grippers located one on either side of the feed-table, a screwfor moving each series of grippers in one direction to bring themsuccessively into operating position, and means for operating saidscrews intermittently.

Signed at Brooklyn, New York, this 26th day of January, 1904.

OTTO S. BEYER.

Witnesses:

MARTIN J. SOHMITT, E. S. PORTER.

